Ex-ceo At Winsted Hospital Quits Post At Sharon Facility

May 18, 1998

SHARON — James E. Sok, the controversial former president and CEO of Winsted Memorial Hospital, has quit his job as president of Sharon Hospital.

Sok could not be reached for comment on his reasons for leaving the job he has held for 11 years. But the announcement of his resignation was met in some quarters with the kinds of remarks that typified the months leading up to the closure of Winsted Memorial in October 1996.

Consumer advocate and Winsted native Ralph Nader, who was sharply critical of Sok's leadership of Winsted Memorial, said people deserve to know the details of any severance package Sok stands to receive.

``The Sharon Hospital board of trustees should conduct a thorough post-Sok investigation now that he can no longer obstruct such an inquiry,'' Nader said.

John R. Chandler Jr., chairman of the Sharon Hospital board of trustees, thanked Sok in a statement for helping to modernize the hospital and create a hospital leadership transition plan. Chandler could not be reached for comment.

Sok was the head of the Sharon management group that ran Winsted Memorial for most of the two years before it closed. Sok's plan to close the hospital's inpatient services was fought by many in the community. The battle lasted throughout most of 1996. Many blamed Sok for the loss of the century-old hospital. A health care facility that provides emergency and other services has since opened in the old hospital building.